The Business of Writing

Going into Camp, I had such high hopes of what would happen. I knew there would be times where I struggle, but for some reason, I didn’t think I would struggle as much as I did this first week. I’ve fallen behind quite a bit, and while that makes me a bit nervous, everyday I open my laptop, and write. I work on my blog, or my story, I write notes for the next day, or research something that will help my career as a writer. I do this everyday, and although I still have much to do to get where I’m going, every day I take another step closer.

Many of you may be finding yourself at the end of this week struggling. It can be daunting, but the thing I can’t stress enough with this pursuit, is that it is an every day goal. Do not let yourself get caught up in the words you haven’t written, and instead, focus on the words you have written. Think about the words you will write today, and not the ones you may not get to.

Still excited.

No question about it. Even without the buzz of starting camp with all the hope and promise of good intentions, I’m still so glad I joined. I’m even more glad that I have such a great cabin that keeps each other motivated. With only a quarter of the month gone, there is still plenty of time to push forward and hit your goals. Keep your head up, and stay positive, because we are all here to push ourselves, and though that may not always be easy, or comfortable, it will bring us closer to our goals.

What about week two?

As week two begins, I’m really going to have to work to catch up on some of the ground I lost over the last few days. If your also behind, here are my tips to catch up, and if you aren’t behind, here’s how you can stay ahead.

First, try breaking up your writing session is smaller bite sized pieces throughout the day. Writing 200 words isn’t so hard, even if you do it five times in one day. However, if you’re looking at your word document knowing that you have to write a thousand words, you may find yourself quitting before you even begin. When you can, stop at a part that is easy to pick up from. Depending on your preferences, this might be in the middle of a chapter or during a fight scene. I will sometimes start a sentence and leave it unfinished which gives me a place to immediately jump in. Lastly, if you need to get words, and you keep feeling you’re mind go blank, start describing something. Describe a character, the room they are in, how there feeling in that moment. These might not be things that you ultimately put in your novel, but sometimes you just need something on the page to get you going.